Their Hierarchy
by SiriusProtege
Summary: Lottie was alone... abandoned, outcast, unwanted, unloved. so it is understandable that one fatful night she made a decision that would make sure she was never alone again...


_A/N; so this isn't my first fanfiction but this is the first story that is 100 mine with no influence from any one else! _

_It might be a one off it might not it depends on your reviews and the feed back I get. Let me know what you think thanks Sp_

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Their Hierarchy

She sat on the swing on the adventure playground in a very unorthodox position. She had a leg on either side of the seat; her head leant against the chain as she stared into the clear midnight sky, different stars winking at her.

He knew his opinion was without a doubt dated but it never seized to surprise him how with each new century the women managed to distance themselves so effectively from the lady like ways of the last, century. However he had to admit it was pleasant not to have any damsels anymore, the whole knight in shining armour was in his opinion very overrated.

George sat in the shadows of a tree near the tennis courts; his eyes in-humanly sharp to the cloak of night watched her shiver. It was cold he supposed not that he felt the cold, or the heat for that matter only the burning light of day would rob him of his immunity to the elements. Taking a long drag on his cigarette, he made smoke rings out of boredom, quickly he touched his mind to hers and wasn't surprised to find that her thoughts were still melancholy.

This girl really was exceptionally odd, she had no social life, her weekends consisted of going into town as the third wheel and then buggering off to a coffee shop, where she contemplated many humorous thoughts about life and about others, and then in the evenings did the same thing, except recently she'd been meeting him at the coffee shop, an 18 year old boy at the local boys school, or so she thought anyway.

George really couldn't understand why he'd been chosen to recruit her; he was the best at recruiting and usually got given tricky targets. Although she was complicated, actually he didn't really know, she was exceptionally sharp and he couldn't delve into her mind without her noticing, that's why the elders wanted her, she was quick and exceptionally strong minded. Or so he'd been told the self inflicted cuts on her left arm, stated quite clearly that she was the opposite. Well that's how he perceived them anyway. However, she was suspicious of him. Right away from the 3rd time they'd 'accidentally' met she hadn't trusted him, something in her nature seemed to dictate that anything that could be considered good or fluke was not to be trusted. Another reason for why the elders wanted her.

There was no doubt that Lottie Price was complicated, he decided, she was a puzzle, a very odd puzzle but a puzzle nonetheless. She would be a challenge, he should have recruited her already but he needed more time to find the right leverage. He checked his watch, 5:00 he needed to go he was meant to meet her at the coffee shop again tonight; and he wanted to look around her room and get that folder she kept on putting random things in, it might just hold the leverage he needed, and if it did like he thought it would, then he would recruit her, maybe not tonight but tomorrow night… yes Saturday night.

Lottie shivered as the icy wind blew hard penetrating the warmth of her jumper and playing with her hair; however it wasn't the wind that made her shiver, in-fact it's cold brutality helped her, no it was the feeling again, the feeling of being watched that un-nerved her, and the sudden dizziness in her head, that caused her to shiver, almost like someone was trying to penetrate her thoughts.

She was so alone, so alone without any friends or family to help her. Alright maybe that was unfair, her friends did try it was her own fault she felt left out, her own fault she was always a tag along.

She just couldn't shake the feeling that that they were only friends with her out of pity. She'd never really fitted in at Alsbury Hall, not that her stepmother cared about that. She had gone to Alsbury hall and if it was good enough for her then it was good enough for Lottie.

That was the problem, her stepmother. Her genetic mother had died in childbirth. Her father had re-married when Lottie was 8 and then had been diagnosed with cancer when she was 11, and he'd died a year later, leaving Lottie to the mercy of a stepmother who didn't want her. So at 12 years old she had been sent to Alsbury Hall, boarding school for girls 11-18. 5 years had past since Lottie had ended up at Alsbury and 5 years had past since her father had died.

There were some perks, her stepmother to keep her from bothering her made her allowance un-limited. Lottie could do whatever she wanted because there were no rules. But it left Lottie alone and unwanted, she new cutting herself was silly, self harming was stupid anyway you looked at it, and most people viewed it at a sign of weakness. Now she hated weakness, of all types but to her the scars from her cutting weren't a sign of weakness, they were her battle scars from the war with life, there was a story behind them, every one of them and they reminded her that nothing was ever like it first appeared to be.

Lottie checked her watch, like most of the sixth form girls, Lottie had every intention of taking advantage of her privilege of being able to go into town on Friday nights, and like most of the girls she was meeting a friend from the local boys' school in town.

Her friendship with George was odd; he rarely talked about himself, but was always full of questions, and answered each one of her questions with a query. There meeting in itself was odd, she'd gone to her usual Cafe, in the evening about two months ago. With every intention of having one of her normal evenings, she'd sit and eat at the café, and then her friends would come and spill there hearts out about the latest boys they liked.

George however had been there. He'd recognised her as an Alsbury girl and decided to join her, they saw each other again the next night and it just became habit. They met there at 7 every night, they'd go for a walk and have a long chat usually about her, she'd never met someone so apt at drawing information out like George could, and occasionally she could have sworn he'd read her mind. It was odd, and Lottie had very quickly decided not to trust it, it reeked like crushed garlic. Lottie didn't like garlic and she didn't like the situation, but she was not under any circumstances going to give up her café, she'd just have to be extraordinarily alert. Sighing Lottie stood up and started to walk back towards her dorm house; Austen.

She stopped suddenly in the courtyard a sudden chill went down her spine, extracting every ounce of warmth and sanity from her bones, panic for some reason started to build up in the back of her mind, freezing her to her current inconspicuous position, every fibre of her being was screaming at her to run even as her mind was screaming at her to stay still, Slowly she looked up, she saw a figure standing on the roof, he seemed to be looking for her. The more obvious his search the colder and sleepier she became.

Suddenly there were two, and she started to warm up from her bones outwards. As the two boys on the roof hissed at each other, one of them looked right at her, and an odd wave of familiarity washed over her before he vanished, a little while later the other also disappeared. Lottie shook violently, and immediately forgot about the boys on the roof, as if her sudden shudder had expelled the memory from her body.

George crept up the wall, and started in through the window before lurching backwards in surprise. The room reeked of loneliness, yet lying underneath the bitter feeling was a strength that shocked him. Tentatively he entered the room; her walls were covered in posters and photo's of her and her friends in the middle by her bed was a picture of her and her father. 'So where are all the drawings?' he wondered aloud. Standing on her bed he reached up and grabbed the main source of the bitter emotion, the folder he was after, opening it he wasn't surprised at what he saw. Drawings, hundreds of them, all dated and signed with the reason behind them written in poetry or stated plainly on the back. It was there that he found what he was looking for, his leverage. Her father was dead, her stepmother didn't like her, she had no real friends, she felt like she was standing in the middle of the street screaming and no one could see but her. It was all there depicted and perfectly preserved in drawings and poetry, for anyone to see. Every single emotion and every human's most dangerous weakness preserved for all eternity.

Suddenly panic began to waft into the room, looking out of the window he saw, Lottie standing frozen in the court yard staring at the roof. Looking upwards and searching George found the disturbance, 'Johnny' he growled under his breath before launching himself out of the window.

'What are you doing here?' George hissed at the other boy on the roof.

'Oh bro there you are! Sorry to disturb you're feeding and all but, heh headmaster wants a word with you.' Johnny replied wincing slightly at the look George was giving him.

Now technically George wasn't Johnny's brother, more his few centuries old great uncle, but the fact they looked the same age ended up proving difficult for Johnny to except calling him 'great uncle George', so he'd reverted to brother.

'Johnny, firstly you've only been at the underclass, for a year! Don't you ever try to find me like that again! Secondly I'm not feeding, that girl is a recruit, and you could have just blown everything, and thirdly why do I have to go to the underclass?' George hissed in a low voice.

'Clam down! I haven't done anything that terrible! I just harmlessly decorated the dinning hall,' Johnny stated in a placating tone.

George took a step back his handsome feature marred with confusion,

'Was one amazing food fight wish u could have been there!' Johnny burst out his good looks spoiled by his hysterical bursts of laughter, unable to contain his amusement at his own mischief.

Sighing, George relaxed, 'This better not take long. I've got to meet this girl in a few hours.' Quickly he glanced down at the petrified Lottie, 'Fine let's go.' He stated, making sure Lottie wouldn't remember anything, before he disappeared.

Johnny looked down at the girl, his eyebrow quirked as he noticed her striking features and a wolfish smile came across his face before a sharp pain struck his head, and he followed his brother silently.

Lottie stood routed to the spot in the middle of one of the dark minor walkways, shocked and feeling more abandoned than ever. She looked between the dead, drained girl and the transformed George. His violet eyes watched her wearily his expression one of silent satisfaction, as he wiped the excess blood off his mouth before making a face, 'Smoker,' he muttered.

'Why? How?' Lottie started, un-able to continue, repulsed by his attitude but in an odd way not disgusted.

'It's the only way you would have believed it. If I told you, you would have thought I was mad. I had to shock you to get you to believe it.' His violet eyes burned into her as he tried to gage her thoughts. He wasn't going to violate her now, by delving into her mind so soon after his revelation.

'Why are you showing me?' she asked tentatively. He was pleased to see that her reaction wasn't fear but repulsion. Fear was hard to deal with, whereas repulsion could quickly be banished.

'Let's take a walk. I promise I'll explain everything,' seeing her hesitation George continued, 'it can be in a public place?' Lottie nodded.

'So, you're a Vampire? Why are… how many of you are there?' Lottie was nervous and wanted to get into a public place as quickly as possible. Her body was screaming at her to run, but her brain quickly informed her that if she tried that he'd just chase her. After all what chance did a human stand next to an immortal?

George laughed, 'I don't know? There's at least 3 houses in England, triple that for the other countries in Europe, and double that for America. I guess you could say we're the top of the immortal food chain.' He added as an after thought.

'There are other immortals?' Lottie was beginning to calm down. She reasoned that if he was going to eat her. He wouldn't have shown her what he was first. But something wasn't right.

'Yes, Werewolves, ghosts and ghouls, witches and wizards…'

'So why did you show yourself to me?' Lottie suddenly cut in. It was about time she got to the bottom of this.

'There's a prophecy that warns there will be a war, an up-rising that could endanger the Vampire houses. So we're recruiting particular humans…' George let his voice trail off;

She was smart enough to know where this was leading.

'So you want to recruit me?' he nodded, 'Why on earth would I want to become something as inhuman as you?'

'Because you're all alone Lottie, your looking out for everyone making sure everyone else is okay, but whose there to look after you? Your parents are dead, your stepmother hates you, and your friends,' George stopped and gestured to the restaurant they were passing where a large group of Lottie's friends sat laughing and joking,

'Lottie your friends use you. We're offering you away out, where you'll never be alone again. No one will use you, you'll actually fit in. you can be yourself with out worrying what people think. No need to worry about a future, no need to worry about exams. Lottie this life is slowly killing you, join us, and you'll live. I'm offering a chance to escape, something out of the ordinary and exciting, all you have to do is say the word and the gift of immortality is yours.'

Despite herself Lottie couldn't help but be drawn to what he was saying, as if it had hit a cord deep inside her and for the first time she could see the world clearly, instead of anger, like she should have felt, she felt acceptance for the first time in her life. The acceptance by herself for herself. Lottie was suddenly at peace with the world and had to ask, 'Can I have some time to think about it?'

George nodded, 'I'll meet you hear tomorrow night,' slowly he turned and began to walk away.

'George, what happens if I say no?'

'The whole incident will be wiped from your memory and nothing more is asked.' Nodding and smiling he continued to walk away, leaving her standing on her own. Watching her friends in the restaurant, who were completely unaware they were being watched, and who were completely unaware of the question their friend was facing.

Lottie had stood on the lacrosse pitches watching the sun set, she'd been up all night and all day trying to figure out her answer to George's question, before she'd realised she new what she was going to say all along. Pulling her jacket tighter around her, she prepared herself mentally for what she was about to do. She wasn't nervous she had no doubts about her answer, but about its repercussions.

This was the first thing she'd been certain about for a long time, and it felt good.

Slowly George walked over to her, as normal they started walking, ignoring the suggestive comment and the insistent, 'you'll have to introduce us later,' form her friends.

'Well? George asked the minuet they were out of ear shot. He hated this part of the recruiting, if she said no he'd have to kill her, and he hated doing that to people like Lottie. She still hadn't answered and George looked at her a feeling as if he had a sinking stone in his stomach.

Lottie just smiled at him. A genuine smile lighting up her striking features, relief swept over him, and he nodded a smile spreading over his own handsome features, as the two walked off into the darkness.

24 hours later the alarm was out, that an Alsbury Girl, Lottie Price was missing. It was reported that her stepmother was crying and her friends were distraught. Lottie was reported as being a great friend and a loving stepdaughter that rarely did anything wrong.

The headmaster of Alsbury hall was reported as saying that Lottie was a bright pupil that held a lot of talent and potential for the future and that if she'd just contact the school or come back no one would be angry at her. Lottie's stepmother made an appearance on the news begging Lottie to come home or to contact the school or her. She wasn't angry she just wanted Lottie back.

George realised that Lottie was obviously loved a lot more than she thought and was missed by her friends that truly cared about her and her stepmother that truly loved her.

Of course he hid the truth from her. He couldn't let her know about this. It might change her mind and she wouldn't be turned until the necessary tests had been done.

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End file.
